Tanmoy Mookherjee | Cricketnext.com
Posted on May 24, 2009 at 09:32
SOURCE : http://cricketnext.in.com/news/anyones-game-bangalore-deccan-eye-ipl-gold/41124-27.html
Johannesburg: After brushing aside two of the strongest teams in the IPL, Deccan Chargers and Bangalore Royal Challengers have reversed the fortunes they endured last year.
After finising last and second last respectively last season, the two sides have come roaring back in the IPL, which makes the clash even more unpredictable. Who would bring its best game to the table?
Deccan Chargers: Winners of the wooden spoon in 2008, Deccan Chargers contest the top spot this time. They changed their captain to Adam Gilchrist, and so did their fortunes. They won their first four games in a row, before slumping to a string of defeats during the middle of the competition. But their form players came to the fore to ensure a spot in the last four.
Key players: Not one, not two, but the entire batting order can be in killing form. Gilchrist, Gibbs, Symonds, Rohit Sharma, even T Suman - have been in good form. The openers can give a bludgeoning start, while Rohit and Symonds are the best men to have while finishing off a game. RP Singh and Pragyan Ojha are the key with the ball, while Deccan will bank on Ryan Harris to produce another spell like he did in the semis.
Flipside: The lower middle order remains suspect. Venugopal Rao and Ravi Teja, depending on the latter's fitness, have not come to party. Difficult to judge which Gibbs will turn up. They leave too much to Rohit and Symonds to do in the end. RP can be expensive due to lack of yorkers. Not too many good part-time bowlers.
Bangalore Royal Challengers: They, too, changed their captain and their arsenal to get rid of the 'Test' status. Kevin Pietersen started off well as Bangalore beat defending champions Rajasthan in their opener, with Kumble and Dravid the heroes. But they slumped to a series of defeats. Pietersen's last game was a win, and when Kumble took over, turnaround struck. Needing wins off their last three games, they beat the toughest in business - Chennai, Delhi and Deccan.
Key Players: Manish Pandey will no doubt be expected to keep his form going after match-winning knocks in back-to-back games. Dravid has been patchy, but his attitude as been reassuring. Taylor, Kohli and Boucher are expert finishers. But the factor will be how Kumble and Roelof van der Merwe manage to stop a dangerous Deccan batting attack from scoring too many runs.
Flipside: Their bowling can be suspect. Praveen Kumar can be lethal, or pedestrian. Vinay Kumar needs to keep it tight, or Gilchrist can murder him. Kallis' form has given way with the bat, but he still has to open. Sending van der Merwe up the order can backfire too. Dravid can go into his shell if runs are not given away. Robin Uthappa has not scored too many runs, and Bangalore can't leave too much to him.
